saturday morning cartoons...

"Sheldon".....they are parked here watching after a nice healthy breakfast of Froot Loops, Apple Jacks, and Reese's Puffs. It is SO hot and humid here, I cleaned up and swept the floors, and felt like I had to sit down. The humidity is so yucky, it makes everything seem so sticky, and I hate sticky, which is funny....all these kids and I hate sticky. The good thing is that they pick up on that, and they keep their hands clean and are compelled to wash them when they aren't. At least I THINK it is a good thing, perhaps I am sending a whole pile of obsessive citizens out into the world....

Sometimes when I think about things too much, I cannot mentally bear the great responsibility of raising all these kids. Especially when the older ones get talking...about the things that used to be so important here....like NO PANTS on the girls....(they have minds of their own, and I simply had to let go.)

I have learned a bit along the way, by the grace of God....it isn't the outward things, but to learn to lead them to God. To know how to humble myself so that I am not STRONG and RIGHT. Jesus was meek and lowly of heart, who wouldn't want to be around someone like that? I need to follow Him in order to lead my children to Him.

So I really have my work cut out for me, to learn each day what really is important. It is deceiving sometimes, because things HAVE to get done. They HAVE TO LEARN to pick up their shoes and put their dishes in the sink and wash the pan after they make grilled cheese....but wait: maybe all these things happen, over and over again for a BIGGER reason. Could it be that I need to be saved? The tricky part is to not let them get away with murder while being cleansed in the trials myself.

I have bedding, bedding, bedding to wash today. Camille has a cough that came after her fever-thing. Last night she started coughing after I put her to bed, and lo and behold, she barfed all over her bedding. The comforter she lies on, the one she covers with, and one of the blankets that is rolled up along side her "nest". (I do have a plan to get her out of our room and into a bed, but I am not in a hurry, nor is she. Every night when it is bed time, after her stories, I bring her in my room and sit on the end of the bed and sing her "nighty night songs". We sing "Hushabye", "Butterfly Fly Away", "Wee Willy Winky", and of course just plain, "Nighty Night"....sometimes I change the words to sing about what we did that day, or what we are planning, like camping. The funny thing is, I sing until she says she "wants to get in my bed now".....she sleeps like a champ on the floor on her little mattress amidst all the comfy blankets and comforters. My plan is to move Charlotte Claire into the room with Suzanne and Jonathan, and take Sonja out of there and put her in C.C.'s room with Camille. One of these days....)(if it ain't broke, don't fix it, right?)

We haven't had the air conditioning on since in days and days in days....I think today we should turn it on...it is so oppressively humid....it wrings me out....I grilled burgers on the deck last evening, Mirielle cut up a watermelon, Evelyn made a salad and set the table....after dinner, I asked Sam, Margaret, and Aaron to clean up, and I sneaked out to the pool with Evelyn. Suze found us too, and Paul came in for a dip. It was lovely under the cloudy late day sky, a bit cool, so really refreshing. In a few minutes, I am going to turn off this television and bring them out for a morning swim.